Releasable fastening devices



Nov. 22, 1966 P. s. JEAVONS 3,287,048

RELEASABLE FASTENING DEVICES Filed Aug. 24, 1964 fg PE HG.

PHILIP SWINGEWOOD JeAvows United States Patent 3,287,048 RELEASABLE FASTENING DEVICES Philip Swingewood Jeavons, Birmingham, England, assignor to Wilmot-Breeden Limited, Birmingham, England, a British Company Filed Aug. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 391,522 11 Claims. (Cl. 292-216) This invention relates to releasable fastening devices, and in particular to fastening devices for the doors of motor vehicles.

Fastening devices for use with a motor vehicle door sometimes provide anti-burst surfaces which are normally spaced laterally of the door but are arranged so that they will engage to oppose bursting open of the door in the event of a collision. The invention is concerned with devices of this character employing a rotary latch member or bolt and has for its object to provide an improved arrangement of the anti-burst surfaces.

According to the invention a releasable fastening device fora vehicle door has a main body portion including a backplate, a rotary latch member or bolt, and an antiburst plate mounted on the backplate in a position fixed relatively to the rotary axis of the latch member to provide anti-burst surfaces arranged both above and below the rotary axis, considering the device in the normal position as fitted at one side edge of the door.

The backplate of the main body portion is preferably formed for mounting on the door with an associated keeper portion formed for mounting in a corresponding position on the vehicle body. Anti-burst surfaces for engagement with the anti-burst surfaces on said plate are conveniently provided on undercut members of the keeper part behind which the anti-burst plate moves on door closure.

One of the undercut keeper members may be formed for latching engagement with the latch member and one or both of the keeper members may act as guide members. In the latter case the keeper portions may be suitably spaced to receive the latch member between them and for engagement with upper and lower edge guide flanges of a guide plate of the main body portion of the device. The upper and lower flanges are conveniently flared to provide a smooth guiding action in the event of misalignment of the latch member and keeper. The anti-burst plate is conveniently arranged so that it acts as a shroud for the latch member.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a motor vehicle door fastening device in accordance with the invention. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an outer face View of a main body portion of the device,

FIGURE 2 is an outer face view of a keeper portion of the device,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line III-III in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a leading edge view of the keeper.

The main body portion of the device includes a backplate 1 for fitting at the shut face of the vehicle door (not shown) and on which are mounted a rotary latch member 2 and the associated internal releasing elements such as 3 of the device. These internal elements serve in the usual way for latch release and locking to prevent unauthorized door opening, and they are not shown in detail.

The latch member 2, which is disposed at the outer side of the backplate 1 and arranged for rotation about an axis at 4 disposed laterally of the door, is of cam form and of the so-called zero-torque type which is spring-loaded to the latching position in which a face 5 engages the keeper, to be described, close to the axis 4 in such manner that the reaction force on the cam 2 passes through the axis 4. The cam 2 is positively turned through said re- Patented Nov. 22, 1966 leasing elements, for example by means of an external pushbutton or internal door handle, when it is desired to unlatch and open the door. The latch member 2 and the function thereof form no part of the invention and hence will not be described in detail, and the invention can be applied to any type of fastening device employing a rotary latch member,

A guide plate 6 fitted to the outer surface of the backplate 1 has an aperture 7 which enables it to be fitted over the latch member 2 which is sufiiciently spaced from the backplate 1 for rotary movement without fouling the guide plate 6. The plate 6 is of flanged form, being bent up along its upper and lower edges at 8 and 9 and also along the trailing edge 10 with respect to the closing direction; the upper and lower edge flanges 8 and 9 form guide flanges to ensure correct engagement of the latch member 2 and the keeper portion 12 of the device, which will now be described, during door closure.

The keeper portion 12 has a backplate section 13 with projecting upper and lower guide members 14 and 15, the upper 14 of which provides a striker for the latch member 2 and the lower of which enters into latching engagement therewith. To this end the lower member 15 has an upper edge of tooth-like form 16 and the upper member 14 has a leading end section 17 which on door closure initially engages on upper lobe 18 on the latch member 2; this turns the latch member 2 away from the latching position and allows it to pass under the leading end section 17, after which the latch spring turns the latch member 2 back to the latching position. In that position the upper lobe 18 now engages in a cut-away intermediate section 19 on the upper member 14 which trails the end section 17 this provides a saftey-latched position. Further door closure to the fully closed position causes the latch member 2 to ride up the inclined leading edge 20 of the tooth form until the latch member 2 is again turned back by the spring with the face 5 in engagement with the rear upper edge of the keeper tooth at 22. This is the fully-latched position.

The keeper is of a die-cast form with a hard metal tooth insert 23 forming the latch engaging surface 24 defining the edge 22. During door closure the two guide members 14 and 15 enter betweenthe guide flanges 8 and 9 which are suitably flared at the leading ends to ensure smooth guiding action in the event of misalignment of the parts, due either to the door being set high on assembly or having dropped during service. A springloaded wedge 25 is inset in the lower member 15 and engages the lower guide flange 9 with a wedging action to provide vertical restraint when the door is fastened and hence obviate rattle.

As the guide member 14, as already described, is cut away along its lower edge over an intermediate section at 19 that member presents an appearance of two downwardly projecting end lobes 26 and 27. These are undercut at 28 and 29 to provide a space between them and the keeper backplate 13, the lobe surfaces such as 30 facing the backplate 13 providing anti-burst surfaces. At its leading upper edge the lower guide member 15 is similarly undercut at 32 to provide an anti-burst surface 33 of generally triangular shape bounded by a lower up wardtly inclined edge.

Mounting pillars 34 project from the guide plate 6 on opposite sides of the latch member 2; they project beyond the outer face of the latch member 2 and on them is mounted an anti-burst plate 35 having a horizontal upper edge 36 and a relatively narrow leading section 37 with a lower horizontal edge 38 which merges through a radius in the region of the axis 4 with a downwardly inclined edge portion 39. Thus as clearly shown in FIGURE 1 the trailing end 40 of the anti-burst plate 35 is of generally triangular shape.

The plate 35 thus acts to shroud the cam or latch memher 2 although its main purpose is to provide anti-burst surface portions for engagement with the anti-burst surfaces 30 and 33 on the keeper 12 in the event of a vehicle collision which would otherwise tend to burst the door open by disengagement of the latch member 2 and keeper 12 in a direction disposed laterally of the door.

During door closure the upper'edge 36-of the anti- |burst plate 35 enters between the lobes 26, 27 of the guide member 14 and the keeper backplate 13; the lower edge 39 of the trailing end 40 of the plate 35 enters between'the undercut portion of the guide member 15 and the backplate 13. The width of undercut at 28, 29 and 32 provides adequate clearance for the anti-burst plate 35 so that normally the latter does not foul the guide members 14 and 15. Thus the anti-burst surfaces have a normal clearance between them which is taken up in the event of a collision and resultant distortion of the vehicle body before disengagement of the latch member 2 and keeper 12 occurs.

I claim:

1. A releasable (fastening device for a vehicle door having a main body portion including a backplate, a rotary latch member, and an anti-burst plate spaced from and fixed to the backplate in a position fixed relatively to the rotary axis of the latch member to provide antiburst surfaces arranged both above and below the rotary axis, considering the device in the normal position as fitted at one side edge of the door, and a separate keeper portion which is formed for latching engagement with the latch member and is also formed with anti burst surfaces arranged above and below said rotary axis for cooperation respectively with said anti-burst surfaces on the anti-burst plate.

2. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein the backplate of the main body portion is formed for mounting on the door itself and the keeper portion is formed for mounting in a corresponding position on the vehicle body.

3. A releasable fastening device for a vehicle door having a main body portion for mounting on the door and an associated keeper portion for mounting in a corresponding position on the vehicle body; wherein said main body portion includes a backplate, a rotary latch member, a guide plate attached to the backplate and presenting upper and lower edge guide flanges which are flared to provide a smooth guiding action in the event of a misalignment of the latch member and keeper portion, and an antiburst plate mounted on the backplate in a position fixed relatively to a rotary axis of the latch member to provide anti-burst surfaces on the plate spaced above and below that axis; and said keeper portion has guide members which are spaced apart to receive the latch member between them and for engagement with said upper and lower guide flanges, with both of the guide members undercut to provide anti-burst surfaces for engagement with the anti-burst surfaces on said plate which moves behind the guide members. on door closure.

4. A releasable fastening device according to claim 3, wherein one of the undercut keeper members is formed for latching engagement with the latch member.

5. A fastening device according to claim 3, wherein the anti-burst plate is arranged so that it also-acts as a shroud for the latch member.

6. A releasable fastening device for a vehicle .door having a main body portion comprising a backplate, a rotary latch member mounted on the backplate with a rotational axis at right angles to the backplate, mounting pillars on the backplate, andan anti-burst plate mounted on the pillars so as to be generally parallel to and spaced from the backplate, the anti-burst plate providing .antiburst surfaces arranged both above and below said axis; and a separate keeper portion comprising two spaced members which are undercut so that the anti-burst plate can move behind them on door closure and to provide further anti-burst surfaces for cooperation with said antiburst surfaces on the anti-burst plate.

7. A fastening device according to claim 6, wherein one of the undercut members is formed for latching engagement with the latch member.

8. A fastening device. according to claim 7, wherein one of the undercut members acts as a guide member.

9. A fastening device according to claim 8, wherein both undercut keeper members act as guide members.

10. A fastening device according to claim 9, wherein the body portion further comprises a guide plate fixed to the backplate and formed with upper and lower edge guide flanges, and the undercut keeper members are suit-.

ably spaced to receive the latch member between them and for engagement respectively with the upper and.

burst plate so that the latter acts as a shroud for the latch member; and a separate keeper portion comprising two spaced members which are undercut so that the antiburst plate can move behind them on door closure and to provide further anti-burst surztaces for cooperation with said anti-burst surfaces on the anti-burst plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,689,758 9/1954 Orr. 2,758,864 8/ 1956 Dixon. 2,893,774 7/ 1959 Carpenter. 3,034,818 5/1962 Coclcbum et a1. 292280 3,1 12,947 12/ 1963 Carpenter. 3,130,997 4/ 1964 Kirk 292280 FOREIGN PATENTS 482,889 4/ 1938 Great Britain.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Examiner. 

6. A RELEASABLE FASTENING DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE DOOR HAVING A MAIN BODY PORTION COMPRISING A BACKPLATE, A ROTARY LATCH MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE BACKPLATE WITH A ROTATIONAL AXIS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE BACKPLATE, MOUNTING PILLARS ON THE BACKPLATE, AND AN ANTI-BURST PLATE MOUNTED ON THE PILLARS SO AS TO BE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM THE BACKPLATE, THE ANTI-BURST PLATE PROVIDING ANTIBURST SURFACES ARRANGED BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW SAID AXIS; AND A SEPARATE KEEPER PORTION COMPRISING TWO SPACED MEMBERS WHICH ARE UNDERCUT SO THAT THE ANTI-BURST PLATE CAN MOVE BEHIND THEM ON DOOR CLOSURE AND TO PROVIDE FURTHER ANTI-BURST SURFACES FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID ANTIBURST SURFACES ON THE ANTI-BURST PLATE. 